FDE Advisory
We run workshops, advisory sessions, and speaking engagements for companies exploring the Forward Deployed Engineering model, and we productize the work of standing up an FDE function through a small set of fixed offerings.
Who This Is For
- Founders building an FDE function for the first time and unsure where to start
- VCs evaluating whether FDE is the right model for portfolio companies
- Engineering leaders transitioning from traditional engineering orgs to FDE-style teams
What We Cover
FDE Operating Models — How to structure teams around customer outcomes. Ownership boundaries between FDE and Product. What works and what creates friction.
Hiring Strategy — Why standard engineering interviews miss FDE-critical traits. How to design processes that test for pain tolerance, ownership mindset, learning velocity, and client-facing capability.
Organizational Design — Team structure, performance measurement, FDE-Product interface agreements, and scaling patterns.
How We Engage
All prices exclude VAT.
| Offering | Shape | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory Retainer | Month-to-month, 3-month minimum. Weekly working call, monthly engineering working session, monthly strategic catch-up, Slack Connect, ad-hoc review. | £12,000 / month |
| Operating Model + Hiring System Sprint | Fixed 3-week engagement producing three written artefacts: Operating Model Blueprint, Hiring Playbook, Positioning Addendum. | £30,000 |
| 3-Month Engagement | The Sprint, then a 9-week embedded phase: weekly working calls, account shadowing, capped engineering coaching 1:1s, monthly leadership sync. | £75,000 |
| Interview Question Design | One-time profile design + 10–15 calibrated questions + per-slot rubric + calibration session, per role profile. | £3,000 per profile (£2,000 if bought alongside another option; first profile waived with the Sprint or 3-Month Engagement) |
| Interviewing-as-a-Service | Per-interview rate. Attaches to any option or standalone. Live interview, written hiring thesis within 48h, async follow-up. | £600 per interview |
For our higher-touch Fractional Technical Leader line of work, retainers typically start at £20,000 / month and are scoped per engagement.
Credentials
| 7 years at Palantir | Ran FDE hiring for commercial and UK operations |
| 1,000+ technical interviews | Calibrated evaluation systems at scale |
| Featured in The Pragmatic Engineer | The definitive article on FDE |
| Active FDE advisory clients | Currently engaged with multiple enterprise and growth-stage companies |
Open-Source Resources
Start building your FDE program today with our open-source materials:
FDE Advisory Materials — Complete documentation site
Includes:
- FDE Startup Kit — Quick reference guide
- Hiring & Talent Strategy — Full interview process
- Product-FDE Interface — Ownership boundaries
- Technical Enablement — Platform standards
- Ready-to-use templates: job descriptions, scorecards, onboarding checklists
Related Writing
- The FDE Fork: Platform or Outcomes — The two coherent ways to run a forward deployed company, and why founders need to pick
- If LEGO Had Forward Deployed Engineers — What actually distinguishes an FDE from a really good consultant
- The FDE Manifesto: What Would Stokes Do? — Tactical principles that define exceptional FDEs
- Hiring Theses — Why documenting hiring rationale matters
- The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Hiring Assholes — Separating conviction from toxicity
Get in Touch
Email: work@platypustech.xyz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anjor-kanekar